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Justice News

Broward Resident Pleads Guilty To Participating in a Jamaica Based Lottery Scheme

A Broward County resident pled guilty today, before United States District Judge William J. Zloch, for her involvement in a Jamaica based telemarketing fraud scheme

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Delany De-Leon Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, made the announcement.

Elizabeth Gonzalez, 25, of Hollywood and Miami Gardens, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349. Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch on July 27, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Gonzalez faces a maximum statutory sentence of twenty years in prison.

According to the information presented in Court, beginning in or about September 2015, Gonzalez’s co-conspirators are alleged to have contacted elderly victims in the United States and falsely informed them that they had won a lottery prize. The co-conspirators told victims they had to pay several thousand dollars in taxes and fees, in order to collect their purported lottery winnings. The co-conspirators then allegedly instructed the victims on how to send the money, and to whom, including sending wire transfers to Gonzalez. In December 2015 and January 2016, Gonzalez received nine separate wire transfers from various telemarketing lottery fraud victims in California, Connecticut, New York and North Carolina.

The defendant’s husband, Delroy Drummond, was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud for his role in a Jamaican based telemarking fraud scheme that involved some of the alleged victims of Gonzalez’s fraud scheme (Case No. 16-60023-CR-WPD). Drummond is scheduled to be sentenced on May 31, 2016 at 1:15 p.m. by U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of USPIS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Broward County Drug Task Force and the Miami-Dade Police Department Economic Crimes Bureau. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Katz.